For long Brittaniaruled the world with the biggest empire in world history. This was on the strength of the Royal Navy that ruled the seven seas. The eclipse of the UK took place when they lost their domination over the oceans after a pyrrhicvictory over Hitler. Thanks to the USA, this victory though pyrrhic was possible, otherwise Hitler would have finished the empire much earlier. The American think tank was always aware of the potency of seapower, but so long as the Royal navy ruled, the US was content to play second fiddle till the First World War.
After theFirst World War the US assumed its mantle as a global power and at the end of World war II, it took the place of the Royal Navy as the dominant global power. This projection of American power was possible because of the awesome power of the US Navy, in all the oceans. Consistent with the theories of Guilio Douhet about the potency of air power, the USA concentrated on aircraft carriers and now have the biggest and most lethal carrier fleet in the world.
The USS Nimitz
The US power is projected by the awesome Nimitz class of carriers. The Nimtz class displace over 100,000 tons and carry a crew of over 5000. It is a virtual township afloat in the sea and can launch fighter aircraft at intervals of 20 seconds.
Its ECM measures enable it to detect an enemy nearly 500 miles away. The ship is nuclear powered and needs to be refueledonly once in 20 years. The ship cruises at almost 55 km an hour and that makes it one of the fastest capital ships. Carriers like the Nimitz are with no other navy, though it is rumored that the Russians are building a bigger aircraft carrier.
The US Navy maintains nearly 22 aircraft carriers and they are distributed over theglobe and project American power. This makes the US theglobal policeman and most nations look up to the USA for safety and succor. In theSouth China Sea with China baring its fangs and frightening theperipheral nations like the Philippines and Vietnam, the only stabilizing factor is theUS naval power.
It's a big deterrent as the 7th fleet also deters any Chinese adventurism against Formosa and Japan. The US Navy is also active in the Indian Ocean as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They also foray into the Black Sea, which the Russians consider their own backwater. The American carrier group is ready for Iran and the Middle East.
The future
Technology is changing fast and the US Navy would like to continue this domination with newer warships. Soon the George Bush class of aircraft carriers which will be bigger than the Nimitz will appear. These carriers will take US power forward. There is no doubt that domination of the world depends on naval power. In particular with many rogue nations like North Korea and Pakistan, as well as inimical nations like China and Russia, as well as the Muslim terror groups in the Middle East, most nationslook to the USA to safeguard them.
This is a duty and is made possible by the US navy, with its array of a formidable aircraft carrier fleet, the like of which was never seen by the world, except when 1000 Greek ships attacked Troy to rescue Helen the Greek queen who had eloped with Paris , Prince of Troy.
